The obvious answer to who is this smartest kid in school
By Jim Logan • Jun 5th, 2007 • Category: Advancing Sales Opportunities
In school we're taught to answer questions. Getting 100% on a test, being first to raise your hand, and writing the correct answer on the board generally means you're the smartest kid in the class.
But is it the answers we have or the questions we ask that truly demonstrate our understanding?
Demonstrating understanding of your client's business, particularly in a complex sell, is essential to earning their respect and building a lasting relationship.
The answer is obvious, it's the questions we ask - not the answers we give - that define our level of understanding and earn greater respect. The smartest kid in school is the one that asks the best questions.
Do you agree with me or think I have it all wrong? Why?
Jim Logan is the founder of JS Logan, a B2B lead generation and sales acceleration company. Click Here and discover what makes JS Logan different from other B2B complex sales and marketing firms.
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Jim - As I drove back to my office from a meeting recently, I reflected on the person I met with. I’ve been evaluating some employees for a client so I mentally compared this person with the others I had met with earlier. One talked the whole time - never shut up. Another said very little unless I asked a question. My favorites were those who asked questions - relevant questions, insightful questions. That tells me a person is engaged and thinking. It tells me they’re actively involved in what’s going. It always impresses me.
Jim
I will say you are “not incorrect”. Realize there is a fine line between asking questions and in some situations “sharing information” that is insightful and thoughtful.
The fine art is to ask questions in a way that they seem like you are giving answers.
I have been in about 25% of sales calls where asking questions is perceived to be a lack of something useful to say.
That said I always remember that “Be more interested and less interesting is a success in any good sales call”.
Mukund -
Great point and observation!
You raise an interesting point. Asking the right questions helps get to the heart of the problem the business is trying to solve. Great answers to poor questions gets you nowhere compared to great questions.